What are your opinions on Thom Yorke?

[GD]

I have heard that he is known for being rude and inconsiderate. Miley Cyrus vowed to ruin "stinky" Radiohead after they denied an invitation to hang out with her backstage. Even Kanye West reported that Thom snubbed him when introduced himself.

IMO, Thom can do whatever he wants as long as he makes good songs for me to listen to.

Feel free to post your opinions

[St. Jimmy]

ITT: Everyone sucks Radiohead's dick.

[Buzzkill]

First of all, if I were Thom Yorke I would tell Miley Cyrus to fuck herself.

Second of all, it's pretty obvious if you listen to Radiohead that Thom Yorke is not a happy go lucky guy. Definitely got some serious mood issues, and doesn't seem like the most social person.

Either way, he's a musical genius so I don't care if he was a dick to Kanye West.

[Buzzkill]

[El Vaquero de Infierno]

There is something about him that irks me, but I've got over my dislike for him to check out Radiohead.

[Swiss Ultimate]

He's a bit of a douche and I haven't really enjoyed anything after Kid A.

[Buzzkill]

Originally Posted by DeathtotheSwiss He's a bit of a douche and I haven't really enjoyed anything after Kid A.

[FakeLaser]

I love Thom Yorke. He is a genius. He is a deity to me. Radiohead are the best and most important band of the last 20 years.

[Requiem]

I am not disagreeing that Radiohead are great and Thom Yorke is extremely talented. But why do you feel they are the best and most important band of the last 20 years?

When people don't like Radiohead, I 'get' it. It's not shocking, although I may disagree a little. But I get it. It's a unique sound, and a lot of their music is incredible and I love listening to it. But I also find some of their music to be pretty boring or just not that great. I can see why some people wouldn't like his voice too. Just can't say that they qualify as 'the best and most important band of the last 20 years'. Seems like one of those things people say about them to sound hip or intelligent. Not saying you're doing that. I just don't see what qualities make them that.

[Requiem]

Also, Thom Yorke, or any artist shouldn't have to hang out with someone just because they're a celebrity and they request it. Miley Cyrus is full of herself if she has sworn to 'ruin' them over it.

[Buzzkill]

They completely changed what rock music can be. They set the standard for album to album progression, and introduced a completely different idea of what music could sound like. Not to mention the overwhelming quality of the majority of their songs (imo).

[Buzzkill]

This is the most epic song of the last 20 years

[FakeLaser]

Who is a better and more important band from the last 20 years?

They've released 4 iconic albums in that timeframe:

1) The Bends
2) OK Computer
3) Kid A
4) In Rainbows

And all of their other albums are incredible too (save Pablo Honey). I thought The King of Limbs was a letdown only because it wasn't some ridiculous game-changing release. That's how high the bar is set.

They're pretty much the only band in that time frame that is critically acclaimed, huge commercially and still respected by indie music fans.

Kid A changed music. Not that there wasn't a lot of Electronic/IDM-style music out there already, but that album pretty much laid the groundwork for the next decade in music, making electronic music more accepted. It killed guitar-driven rock in some ways, or at least pushed it to the back burner. It might have been the most important album of the 2000s.

In Rainbows was an acceptance of change in the way music is consumed and distributed. Not only is the music incredible, but it's just conceptually brilliant.

Point being... when Radiohead releases an album, you can count on it being excellent. You know it's going to sell millions of copies (even in this climate) and it's not going to be hated on by hipsters and whatnot. And it just might change music in some profound way.

[FakeLaser]

I can't imagine the pressure they must be under with every release, especially after In Rainbows. It's like they can't just release an incredible album, they also have to come up with some ridiculous way to distribute it.

[FakeLaser]

This is a fucking b-side

come on

[Requiem]

Dunno, just don't see it at all. I get that they are influential, but not nearly as much as you're making it out to be. They had a lot of worldwide success I guess. But they have just as many 'Gold' albums as they do Platinum ones. OK Computer and Kid A were iconic sure for being way ahead of their time, but In Rainbows didn't really 'change' anything. Bands didn't start changing their business model because of it. It's been 4 years since its release, and it has had a negligible effect on the industry. The industry has been more affected by the internet and its users than any decisions by any bands.

They are not the only band to have been pushing the music industry. I definitely don't believe they are the first band to 'progress' with each album.

Off the top of my head, Trent Reznor comes to mind as equally influential as far as his music production and business model go. His genius can't be disputed, as he built an empire from literally nothing, starting as a custodian in a recording studio. Pretty Hate Machine went 3x platinum, and it was an album from 1989. NIN practically became a brand. He would have released The Slip for free regardless of if Radiohead had done it with In Rainbows. Not saying NIN is the best and most important either, because they definitely don't have the worldwide success that Radiohead had, but I don't think Radiohead are the ONLY band to have followed this pattern.

[Buzzkill]

Originally Posted by Requiem Dunno, just don't see it at all. I get that they are influential, but not nearly as much as you're making it out to be. They had a lot of worldwide success I guess. But they have just as many 'Gold' albums as they do Platinum ones. OK Computer and Kid A were iconic sure for being way ahead of their time, but In Rainbows didn't really 'change' anything. Bands didn't start changing their business model because of it. It's been 4 years since its release, and it has had a negligible effect on the industry. The industry has been more affected by the internet and its users than any decisions by any bands. They are not the only band to have been pushing the music industry. I definitely don't believe they are the first band to 'progress' with each album. Off the top of my head, Trent Reznor comes to mind as equally influential as far as his music production and business model go. His genius can't be disputed, as he built an empire from literally nothing, starting as a custodian in a recording studio. Pretty Hate Machine went 3x platinum, and it was an album from 1989. NIN practically became a brand. He would have released The Slip for free regardless of if Radiohead had done it with In Rainbows. Not saying NIN is the best and most important either, because they definitely don't have the worldwide success that Radiohead had, but I don't think Radiohead are the ONLY band to have followed this pattern.

Not saying that they were the only ones to progress with each album, but just look at the mammoth difference between The Bends and Kid A. They sound like entirely different bands in different genres. But they are both absolutely genius and masterful, only in completely different ways.

And they just have so many effing good songs. Like every "great" band, you really couldn't do a "Best of Radiohead" CD, or even a double or triple CD imo. Theres a standard of excellence that is consistent across every album they release.

[Requiem]

Just the same, I 'get' why people might not like NIN.

[Requiem]

Yeah but where you think a crap ton of their songs are amazing, I see a crap ton of their songs as being completely forgettable. I see whole albums of theirs that are good when taken as a whole album, but some songs as just being 'meh' or forgotten when taken by themselves. A LOT of their songs are like that for me. Likewise, a lot of their songs are incredible and some of them I would put as some of the best songs I had ever heard. Just don't think their whole library lives up to that though.

[Buzzkill]

Just comes down to a matter of taste in the end really. I agree with you though that certain songs aren't great, or even downright bad, outside the context of the album as a whole (this really only applies to Kid A for me though, with songs like Treefingers).

Another huge part of their influence tho was really introducing the whole movement of fusing abstract, jarring sounds and arrangements with really amazing beauty to create an entirely unique mood and sound to their music that's been copied endlessly since.

[Requiem]

Without starting debates about other bands specifically - There are bands that I can listen to their entire library (or 5-6, depending on the band.. if they have a LOT of music) without skipping a song. I could never do that with Radiohead. There are too many songs that either 'grate' on my ears, or just bore me. I would honestly skip 1/3 or 1/2 of their songs. Doesn't take away from their importance to the industry, as those few albums were just as iconic. But it does take away from their overall hype, IMO.


Getting away from the point I guess. It's all personal preference. Some stuff sounds better to some people. Just don't think they are appealing 100% of the time. Or even 2/3 of the time even.

[Buzzkill]

Theres also Thom Yorke unmatched lyrical ability (again, imo). They fit the sounds that surround them perfectly.

[Buzzkill]

Originally Posted by Requiem Without starting debates about other bands specifically - There are bands that I can listen to their entire library (or 5-6, depending on the band.. if they have a LOT of music) without skipping a song. I could never do that with Radiohead. There are too many songs that either 'grate' on my ears, or just bore me. I would honestly skip 1/3 or 1/2 of their songs. Doesn't take away from their importance to the industry, as those few albums were just as iconic. But it does take away from their overall hype, IMO. Getting away from the point I guess. It's all personal preference. Some stuff sounds better to some people. Just don't think they are appealing 100% of the time. Or even 2/3 of the time even.

I mean I can listen to every White Stripes album without skipping a song (one of my favorite bands ever), but I wouldn't argue that they are anywhere nearly as influential or important as Radiohead.

I do see where you're coming from though. I used to pretty much hate Radiohead, and thought everyone who loved them was just trying to be cool and sound more intelligent than they were. Then I actually gave them a good listen, and now they are one of my favorite bands ever, if not my absolute favorite.

I dunno.

Idioteque, Kid A, Paranoid Android, There There, Pyamid Song and Reckoner are all in my top 25 songs of all time (not "universally the greatest songs ever made" "mind you", but from my own listening experiences)

[Requiem]

Mentioned the ability to listen to a library as more to do with considering them 'the best', not the most important.

[FakeLaser]

I like Treefingers. Good to fall asleep to when yr blazed

[FakeLaser]

Originally Posted by Requiem Dunno, just don't see it at all. I get that they are influential, but not nearly as much as you're making it out to be. They had a lot of worldwide success I guess. But they have just as many 'Gold' albums as they do Platinum ones. OK Computer and Kid A were iconic sure for being way ahead of their time, but In Rainbows didn't really 'change' anything. Bands didn't start changing their business model because of it. It's been 4 years since its release, and it has had a negligible effect on the industry. The industry has been more affected by the internet and its users than any decisions by any bands. They are not the only band to have been pushing the music industry. I definitely don't believe they are the first band to 'progress' with each album. Off the top of my head, Trent Reznor comes to mind as equally influential as far as his music production and business model go. His genius can't be disputed, as he built an empire from literally nothing, starting as a custodian in a recording studio. Pretty Hate Machine went 3x platinum, and it was an album from 1989. NIN practically became a brand. He would have released The Slip for free regardless of if Radiohead had done it with In Rainbows. Not saying NIN is the best and most important either, because they definitely don't have the worldwide success that Radiohead had, but I don't think Radiohead are the ONLY band to have followed this pattern.

I didn't really say In Rainbows changed distribution, just that it acknowledged that things had changed more so than any other release and reacted to it by allowing people to pay what they wanted for it, rather than getting pissed off at a broken system. A statement was made; an original and innovative statement independent of any record label. Which you can argue is a model that has been followed, as a lot of music is now self-released without a label. Not on a grandiose scale like Radiohead, but yeah.

And I'm not saying they're the only band to progress. All bands progress. However... a drastic change like the one seen on Kid A very much changed the face of music in the following decade. I think the only album that is comparable there from the past decade in terms of actually CHANGING music would be Late Registration by Kanye West, which pretty much completely changed rap music by killing off "gangsta" rap and making it more about production, intelligent, witty and hilarious lyrics and whatnot. Made rap more "mainstream," or at least more acceptable and accessible to "white America" than it ever was. Radiohead similarly took rock music and infused electronica, IDM and elements of hip hop and almost killed off guitar rock, in a lot of ways.

I don't deny Trent Reznor's genius, but he hasn't had the same influence on music as Radiohead. He's a great rags to riches story and is ridiculously talented, but he's not comparable in influence or commercial success. Maybe in critical acclaim (but not really).

I just can't point to any other bands that have all of the elements I've detailed above from the past 20 years or so. that's why I think they're the best and most important band of the past 20 years.

[Buzzkill]

Another huge thing is that there really isnt anybody else. They aren't the Beatles or anything, but if you this at this generation of music there's nobody else imo

[Requiem]

Don't get this 'almost killed off guitar rock' thing you keep saying. Makes no sense at all to me. Yeah it proved that music didn't have to follow a certain scheme to be successful. But that doesn't mean people suddenly stopped... I don't even know. Not sure what you're saying.

[Buzzkill]

Originally Posted by Requiem Don't get this 'almost killed off guitar rock' thing you keep saying. Makes no sense at all to me. Yeah it proved that music didn't have to follow a certain scheme to be successful. But that doesn't mean people suddenly stopped... I don't even know. Not sure what you're saying.

A ton of rock-oriented band these days are leaning more towards electronic music than pure guitar or keyboard.

Phoenix, Passion Pit, (early) Cut Copy, Sufjan Stevens, Muse, Hot Chip, Coldplay, James Blake...not to mention the numerous electronic artists Radiohead has influenced, like Animal Collective, Flying Lotus, Madlib...etc.

Even Kanye cites Radiohead as one of his biggest influences.

I don't think we're saying it KILLED OFF guitar rock, but before Radiohead, that was the status quo. After Radiohead, electronic driven rock is the status quo. There is still plenty of pure guitar rock (MMJ, Black Keys, etc etc) but I'd say it's no longer the norm.

[CSL]

But "nobody" gives a shit about any of those bands outside of Muse and Coldplay

[Buzzkill]

Nobody gives a shit about Kanye West? Passion Pit was one of the most popular bands in the states last year. Maybe not in the Top 40, but for pretty much anybody that could get over the hipster label loved them from my experience.

Name some main stream guitar driven rock bands with no electronic instruments that people give a shit about plz? If you say mumford and sons this argument is over. MAYBE Arcade Fire.

[Buzzkill]

Not saying that they don't exist by the way...just that they are a dying breed.

RHCP might be one of the few remaining examples, but they developed their sound way before Radiohead and have stuck to it.

[Buzzkill]

I also wanna point out that Muse is the biggest rock band in the world, and Coldplay isn't far behind...

[CSL]

like every rock act on those Billboard Mainstream Rock charts you Americans have. They "influence" rock music a lot more than Radiohead do. I'm not saying Radiohead haven't influenced anybody "mainstream" (Kanye for example but we weren't referring to them influencing main stream rap/hip-hop) but you appear to be mostly listing bands that fit under this sub-genre and that sub-genre/get by on specific dedicated audiences and "critical acclaim" as opposed to what 90% of people that claim to listen to "rock music" are actually listening to. And U2 and Foo Fighters are the biggest rock bands in the world.

[Buzzkill]

Nobody under the age of 35 gives a shit about U2, no offense. And they use tons of electronic distortion in most of their songs now, not that I've ever listened to more than 45 seconds of a U2 song.

And, at least in 2009, Muse sold more CD's and sold out more concerts (100k+ per arena in some cases) than any other band.

What rock acts on those Billboard Manstream Rock charts are you talking about that "us Americans love"? And what influence do they have? The Black Keys took their sound directly from late 1960s blues. I wouldn't say they are influential.

Here are the following Top 10 bands for Rock Songs on the Billboard charts:

Foo Fighters, Seether, Foster the People, Coldplay, Death Cab for Cutie, The Black Keys, Avenged Sevenfold, Incubus.

Nobody cares about Incubus anymore, Foster the People are pure electro-rock, don't know anything aobut Seether, Death Cab is emo-folk, and Black Keys are, well, I already talked about them.

Dunno what you're talking about.

[Requiem]

Yeah I can't deny that Muse is huge. When I listened to them before, I never could have predicted they would get that huge. Anyways, I'm bored of this debate. I see your point. Wouldn't call them 'THE' band of the past couple decades, but I get your reasoning.

Also, The Black Keys are one of those bands that I can listen to literally their entire library without skipping. Think it's pretty awesome that they are in the top 10 on the billboards right now. Hope now that they are popular, that their next album is just mind-blowing rock. I would personally consider them the best band of the last decade, easily. And that has nothing to do with their 'impact', even though I definitely think once Brothers sinks in and their next album comes out, that they will start to have more of an impact on the music world. 'Fresh' vintage sound, quality songwriting, sick catchy riffs. Absolutely hate that 2 of my friends will not give them a real shot, even though they love classic rock.

[Buzzkill]

Agree to disagree!

But yes, Black Keys are effing awesome. Loved them way back when I first heard 10 AM Automatic (I think thats what it was called), and I'm glad they finally made it big. Even though they sound exactly like The Sonics.



By the way: http://www.nme.com/news/the-black-keys--3/58033

Black Keys just finished an album with Danger Mouse. aodfjasfsjklfs

[CSL]

Originally Posted by Buzzkill Nobody under the age of 35 gives a shit about U2, no offense. And they use tons of electronic distortion in most of their songs now, not that I've ever listened to more than 45 seconds of a U2 song. And, at least in 2009, Muse sold more CD's and sold out more concerts (100k+ per arena in some cases) than any other band. What rock acts on those Billboard Manstream Rock charts are you talking about that "us Americans love"? And what influence do they have? The Black Keys took their sound directly from late 1960s blues. I wouldn't say they are influential. Here are the following Top 10 bands for Rock Songs on the Billboard charts: Foo Fighters, Seether, Foster the People, Coldplay, Death Cab for Cutie, The Black Keys, Avenged Sevenfold, Incubus. Nobody cares about Incubus anymore, Foster the People are pure electro-rock, don't know anything aobut Seether, Death Cab is emo-folk, and Black Keys are, well, I already talked about them. Dunno what you're talking about.

The main thing I dislike about the likes of Thom Yorke/Radiohead fans btw, the overwhelming false sense of superiority, this horribly deluded sense that music can only be made one way and for one purpose and that is to please a certain, specific type of fan

And lol "no offense", because the fact I listed them means I must care what anybody thinks about them as opposed to simply realizing they're "bigger" than every band you've listed, the fact Muse are opening for U2 on the highest grossing concert tour in history later this year gives that one away. And what do you mean "what influence do they have?". Simply making somebody pick up and guitar and learn how to play is influencing music. And even if we're specifically talking about influencing other artists, I'm not about to list anybody that you could consider influenced by Radiohead. U2, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Avenged Sevenfold, Seether, AC/DC, Metallica, Bon Jovi, The Stones and so on. Those are the bands I'm talking about, the ones Average Joe Jeans could name. Whether most of them are actually any good or not or whether you care about any of them is completely irrelevant, your artistic and creative preference isn't any kind of factor in deciding how big or influential a band is. It's just typical self righteous nonsense from your "hipster" variety of music fan.

[CSL]

now argue back with me so we can engage in fisticuffs

[CSL]

hate when posts get split by a page change, quite homosexual